My first bike(s): 1983 Yamaha 200ek... pls help

[orangeman]

Hi everyone!

So the other day had the realization that I am now a 34 year old dude-bro who has a garage and can buy whatever he wants. I was never allowed to have atv of any kind as a kid, and always remembered seeing all my friend's three wheelers (usually in various states of disrepair). There's no time like the present, so away I went to marketplace and craigslist.

Ho-ly-crap. Clean 250es Big Reds are $4,500 and a rider is $2,500. 350x and 250Rs are going from $5k-9k depending on level of restoration. I had no idea these things would be so expensive. I had my heart set on a big red going into this, but the prices around me just didn't seem reasonable.

I always enjoyed my yamaha wave runners and my friends yamaha sleds, so I found a clean looking 1983 Yamaha 200ek only about an hour from me and figured it might be good fun. Reviews said they were a bit faster an lighter than the hondas, if not a bit taller and trickier. Great. Danger is the main selling factor here anyways! I threw the utility trailer on the rover and went out to get it.

Older gentleman told me it was mint, and that it just needed a little carb tuning and the (new) brakes adjusted and I'd be good to go. It was stone cold when I saw it, fired up instantly and seemed fine driving it around the parking lot. I handed him $900 and away I went happy as could be.

https://i.imgur.com/ytCSeCHl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/kxG6fgvl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/hWlEcrpl.jpg

[orangeman]

So I brought her inside and am starting to sort.

Summary
Trike #1
Bought 1983 Yamaha 200ek, fulfilling a childhood dream. Didn't know what I was looking at and got pretty ripped off.

Guy told me that the trike was 100%, just needed the carb to be tuned a bit and the brakes adjusted.

The Good:
- It's in pretty good shape all original plastics
- Fires right up instantly with the electric start and idles nicely
- Shifts very well, not to hard, not too soft

The Bad:
- Bogs down any time after 1/2 throttle, seems like it has about half hp, this is the biggest problem
- $28 Chinese carb
- Choke cable is rusted in the on position, taking it out and fixing only makes it so it doesn't dump gas on the ground after shut down, purchased new for $110!!! on Partzilla
- Brakes are completely inop, front seems maxed out on adjustment, rear pedal seems maxed out on adjustment, rear handle adjustment at the bottom
- Front struts seized, bought used on ebay
- Lights dont work, turning the switch to light kills engine running
- Recoil doesn't seem to work, cord pulls out like 6 inches then binds, wont retract
- Tires are dry rotted and wont hold air, obviously I could see this but he said he slimed them and they hold air fine. They do not. Purchased new cheapo ones on eBay
- Muffler is loud and must be rusted out, I didn't know until I had one to compare it to
- no battery, bought a duralast for $90

https://i.imgur.com/pv15gfEl.jpg

Live and learn, just assumed the old guy was being honest about it's condition.

https://i.imgur.com/clsrCrpl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/KQmvDVDl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/5gfyw4al.jpg

Ran the bike in the morning. It runs OK, but after half throttle it bogs out and doesn't have any power. Parked the bike and went inside to get a speaker for some thrash metal and a pack of miller high lifes. Came back outside and the entire gas tank was dumping on the ground from the nipple on the bottom of the carb. Hmmm

I tore the carb apart, measured the float, checked all the settings and cleaned everything out. Float was off by less than 1mm, it's brand new and looks super clean. Reassembled everything and noticed the choke was rusted stuck in the on position. Well, that could explain a few things. Manually fixed it and reinstalled. Bike still doesn't have any power, but no longer dumps gas on the floor.

Installed a custom sound system and put cowboys from hell/ace of spades on repeat while crushing some highlife
https://i.imgur.com/QSZzZDEl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/vEZYdBVl.jpg

[orangeman]

Found another identical 1983 200ek about three hours away from me. Talked to the guy, he said it was literally perfect and he ran it for 2 hours just this weekend, answered every single one of my questions from what I learned with the first one. I insisted on EVERYTHING. Got there right near dark. Bike checked out, drove it in his lot best I could. paid $1,000 for it. Of course I fricked this one up too and it has a problem :/

https://i.imgur.com/LhXUGqLl.jpg

Trike #2
The good
- Very original, looks great
- New tires!
- Fires up instantly and idles great, seriously, Yamaha must have the best starter and ignition systems ever
- She fast!
- Pull start works great as well
- Has a GUN HOLDER for HOLDING GUNS! (what more appropriate here, a marlin 1897 leverboi, or a beat up 870 with more than a bit of patina, leaning towards the latter)
https://i.imgur.com/WvpPbdTl.jpg
The Bad
- when you're running for a couple minutes in 4th or 5th gear, the bike starts to bog and dies, nothing you can do to stop it, it has to sit for about 30 seconds, then it fires right back up again as if nothing happened, and the process repeats. After the first couple of times, it happens faster and faster. Haha, good work dude, you got me, thanks for lying your face off to me for 30 minutes straight. I believe this is an ignition problem, like maybe a bad ignition coil is getting too hot or something.
- Headlight doesn't work, when I switch it to light the engine dies. Seriously what's up with this how do they both have the same issue.

So as of now they are both sitting in the garage. It's 28 degrees in Syracuse and we just got 5 inches of snow. Not sure how I feel. On one hand I am excited, on the other I feel a bit defeated. Considering spending $4k on a restored 350x seems like not as bad of a deal now. I did have some fun on the second one however.

https://i.imgur.com/IHCshdal.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/GshUmExl.jpg

Almost nap time
https://i.imgur.com/rjWCwFEl.jpg

[orangeman]

So, what I would be so grateful for is some help on what to do with Trike #2.

I have plenty of tools and a willing attitude, if you tell me to do XYZ or check ABC, I can do it; I am just not sure where to start, and know very little about carburetors other than HAHA aIr MakE FuEl Go DumP. I am also unfamiliar with the ignition systems and how exactly the CDI boxes work.

Here is exactly what's happening:

Bike fires up great, either pull or electric start. Runs great with lots of power 1st - 3rd. Driving it down the road in 4th or 5th, I am ripping, probably close to 40mph. After about 2 minutes total run time there's not really any more throttle. It will then start bogging down losing speed until it stalls out. Nothing seems to stop this, not modulating the throttle, not switching gears, not pop starting it while its still moving. It will then not start back up for about 30 seconds. The all of a sudden it fires back up like nothing happened.

I feel like this is an ignition problem. Like a coil is overheating and has to cool down. Where do I begin? The only think I have tried is taking off the gas cap and making sure there was no water and blowing the lines out, both vent and fuel.

Any and all advice is appreciated. Thanks!

[DSHOT59]

Check the petcock on the fuel tank I picked up a ytm 200 that supposedly had a carb problem and turned out it was starving for fuel. E-bayed a petcock and now she runs fine. I love it It's currently my favorite.

[orangeman]

Check the petcock on the fuel tank I picked up a ytm 200 that supposedly had a carb problem and turned out it was starving for fuel. E-bayed a petcock and now she runs fine. I love it It's currently my favorite.

great, will do thank you

[ATC King]

There's going to be a lot to cover, but if you're going to jump in, you done it with both feet; that's dedication.

If they've both got good plastics, you made a good choice there. There are no aftermarket plastics available fore these, and I recently watched a NOS front fender sell for more than $200 on EBay.

Bearings, brakes, cables, tires and wheels are something you'll likely have to replace on any of the Honda's in that price range too. A little bit like comparing apples to lemons, but all that stuff is about the same price on either. Trike prices have gone nuts high, and you're probably one of many who're looking at the other brands because the Honda's are too high.

Anytime you're dealing with a Chinese carb, expect some issues. Mostly, it'll be the jets they came with are wrong. You can start to fix that by buying the stock size jets. Those may not be quite right either, but they'll be close. Check all the passages for obstructions and proper machining.

Check out my post, #295, in this thread. http://www.3wheelerworld.com/showthread.php/189119-Who-here-flips-trikes/page2

That carb would've never ran well past part throttle.

On the loud exhaust, if it's not roached, the OEM baffle is still available new, if yours is missing.
https://www.partzilla.com/product/yamaha/21V-14752-00-00?ref=30057b332ffda6b4ea80eecd47590f0f8def2a20

Lights shutting off engine? That may be someone has plugged something in wrong or there's a short. You should have a manual handy already. They're free to download online from a couple/few different sources. Check the wiring diagrams.

It sounds about right with your presumption about the ignition. I'm going to stop here for now, but after getting a manual and you testing the components, everyone will be able to help you more.

[El Camexican]

Check the fuel filter on the petcock of the one that dies out in the higher gears and then restarts after a bit. Sounds like it might be plugged.

[Blmpkn]

I think its hilarious you have two porsches but don't want to spend a couple grand on a nice rider XD

Not judging! I'm the same way with some things lol.

[ATC King]

Blmpkn, certain models of older, used Porsches aren't that expensive.

Parts and labor on older sports cars is what makes them too expensive for most average people who have to rely on a shop to keep it going. If a person does their own maintenance and repairs, they can easily afford one. That's the same for a lot of European brand autos here in the US. There are older Corvettes that are super affordable too, if someone doesn't have to have the latest and greatest, but wants something sportier than the average coupe at a average coupe price.

Look at what people are paying for a new pickup truck nowadays. Most of which will never be used to pull a trailer or haul anything larger than a new home appliance.

[thefox]

Sounds like a coil issue, I remember another guy haven’t an issue with a bad stator on his YTM making the trike break up when warm and turning on the lights would ground out the coil.

Another possibly is a clogged gas cap vent or fuel filter as mentioned above.

Those Chinese carbs suck. Sometimes they work ok after jetting and adjusting but I have a hard time trusting them.


Good to see a local guy! I’m in Kirkville, just easy of Syracuse NY. I’m not on the board much but check in from time to time.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MrConcdid]

To be completely honest, paying $1,000 and asking for perfection is a unrealistic (if you thought it was in perfect condition and you were only going to have to pay $1,000, then you must have thought you were taking advantage of the seller).
We both know a $1,000 ytm is not perfect, not because someone is taking advantage of you, but because the bike is 35 years old, it was used in the woods, and mud and ran hard for 15 years then parked somewhere for another 20 years, then brought back to life, and it preformed well enough, to run, idle and drive that you bought it after checking it out. Did he force you to buy it?

Now, its not perfection, and you over looked a few things and your unhappy, and blame the seller. A man who owns 2 Porsche's surely should have noticed the headlights not working, the pull cord not retracting, and if you didn't hit 4th and 5 gear on the test drive, then may be the seller didn't either, so no one is to blame for a problem that never showed up til later. If you wanted perfection, you should have bought a new bike (with a warranty)
Otherwise, download the manual, study the forums learn all you can and use your willingness to repair your bikes.

They are both very nice looking bikes, and well worth your investment and time, spend a little more and make them the perfection you seek, and when you sell them, be sure and price them accordingly. a
trike in perfection condition isn't $1,000.

MrC.

[El Camexican]

10 years ago a MINT YTM was under $500 bucks and a gallon of gas was $0.10 (sorry, that was my Grandpa talking).

You could part out those trikes and make a few bucks. You may have paid a little more than some would’ve, but you have good plastic as mentioned and all the rest can be fixed.

Do it right and enjoy your toys!

[Blmpkn]

Please don't part out those trikes lol. To (essentially) destroy them over such trivial issues would be sacrilege.

Find the parts you need through someone else's dismantling. Keep one to ride, keep the other as a part of history. Im only a few years younger than you.. by the time were 50-60 having a running riding trike is going to make you a legend.

Mabey not quite a legend... but you catch my drift I'm sure.

[ATC King]

The 200EK has a few things going for it that make it a little nicer to have over a Honda ATC185/200 model.

The engine is counterbalanced, so it's smoother running.
It has a rear disk brake, albeit mechanical.
The plastic fuel tank will never rust and has a crossover tube, so fuel isn't left in the right side of the tank when the left is empty.

I think the styling is better than what Honda offered that year too.


I took a gamble on the YTM I bought this year, that I was hoping only needed the clutch disks replaced. It turned out the centrifugal one was trashed, which costs a good deal more to replace than just the disks. I knew it was slipping when I bought it, but without popping the clutch cover, it was a roll of the dice.

I've got it mostly all sorted out now and still not too much into it, but I'd wouldn't do a whole lot better than close to breaking even if I sold it. For that, I'm better off keeping it, because I know just about every part of it very well now.

[Bigjon9976]

Hey man, did you have a little yellow spring in the clutch cover when you pulled it off? If so, where does it go? Behind the clutch adjustment arm? I’ve been asking and searching but can’t locate any information. Even the part diagrams aren’t helping (Partzilla, Bikebandit, etc.). I appreciate any help if you have any information to offer :)

My original post below and pics included.

http://www.3wheelerworld.com/showthread.php/190846-Centrifugal-clutch-seized-on-crankshaft

[Jim mac]

it's cool that you got into three wheelers that's not a honda. once you get into the nuts and bolts of these things, you'll realize just how simple these trikes are. since you have 2 similar trikes, if you think it's a coil, swap them between the two. just dont leave parts off the first trike. like others said, it sounds like a fuel issue, petcock, fuel line, filter.
I wished we could get decent money local fkr trikes, I'm lucky to get 3 to 350 for a running 185 or 200s. jim

[ATC King]

The guy seemed to dive into it, then just...

Maybe he got frustrated and sold them all.

With limited OEM parts availability, the ridiculously high cost of some used parts, and lack of aftermarket support for many major parts, trikes aren't the poor man's hobby they used to be. It's more of a collectors item now that cost a lot, but is still worth very little if it isn't completely OEM restored or a true survivor.

It's way too easy to end up in the red with a used trike that needs work anymore.

[350for350]

Yes it is and that's why I don't try doing this to make money.

[Jim mac]

cool to see trikes other than a honda. don't get me wrong, jondas are all I buy myself. just cool to see other building other brand trikes. my go to guy has a black kawasaki trike. I thought it was kind of cool but didn't bother asking about it. figure parts are too hard to come by. jim

[ATC King]

Besides the body parts, check out someplace like Partzilla. There are many of the hard parts still available for the Yamahas.

A brand new cylinder for a YTM200 is about $220. Compare that to what a used, bored one for a Honda is selling for on Ebay.

Maybe since the Yamahas weren't as popular, there are more OEM parts still available. I've noticed a lot more than what is available for the 185/200 Hondas.